


i’ll take the blame (if you’ll come back)

by randomwriter57



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Childhood, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-06 05:38:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14050074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomwriter57/pseuds/randomwriter57
Summary: Sorey doesn’t like arguing with Mikleo.





	i’ll take the blame (if you’ll come back)

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a couple months ago when I wanted to improve my characterisation by trying to stick as close to canon as I could. For whatever reason, writing about Sorey and Mikleo as kids felt like the easiest way of doing that. It’s just a small thing, but I hope you all enjoy it anyway!

Sorey doesn’t like arguing with Mikleo.

It’s a rare occurrence that the two ever truly fall out, of course, but they often have little spats which tend to resolve themselves quickly enough. They’re usually about silly things, like who found a discovery first, or who was the last one to help the older seraphim with certain chores. As such, they’re never really all that serious and the boys manage to be best friends again with a few minutes of their spats beginning.

Today’s argument is only an exception in that it lasts far longer than Sorey would like.

Gramps sighs, breathing out some of the smoke from his pipe. “You know full well that you are not allowed to explore inside the ruins. It’s far too dangerous.”

“It was Mikleo’s idea,” Sorey says, only vaguely remembering Mikleo suggesting something like this. “He’s the one who said we should go in.”

Mikleo gapes at Sorey. “No, it was your idea! I was totally against it, but you just went in anyway!”

“No, it was definitely you!”

Even as he says this, Sorey doubts himself. Did Mikleo actually say they should go in? It might have been his own idea, now he thinks about it. He definitely knows that he didn’t go in until Mikleo agreed with him, though.

This situation has become way too troublesome. He doesn’t want to end up arguing with Mikleo over something as petty as this - Gramps is likely going to punish them both, anyway.

“It was Sorey,” Mikleo says, turning to Gramps with his hands clenched into fists on his knees.

“Who started it doesn’t matter,” Gramps says, his tone stern. “You are lucky nothing harmed you in there. There might be hellions lurking in the depths, and you know that we can do naught against them.”

“We know,” Sorey and Mikleo chorus, bowing their heads in guilt.

“Then you’d do well to remember it.” Reaching over, Gramps swats them both over the head, light enough that it doesn’t hurt, but it’s a warning nonetheless. “I’ll make sure the others give you plenty of chores to do, as punishment.”

“Yes Gramps,” they chorus.

Once they get out of Gramps’ hut, Mikleo turns on him, eyebrows furrowed in anger.

“You and I both know it was you who started it.”

“Can’t we drop this?” Sorey says. He’d been happy to think that the argument might have ended already, but it’s strange that Mikleo would willingly bring it back up again. “It’s not like it matters.”

“It matters because you were putting the blame on me!” Crossing his arms over his chest, Mikleo huffs.

“You were putting the blame on me, too!”

“That’s because it was actually your fault!”

“Well maybe it wasn’t my fault!” When he speaks this time, Sorey is aware of how their voices have escalated in volume. He knows they should quieten down and stop arguing, but again, and he wants to do that, but Mikleo doesn’t let him.

In fact, Mikleo turns away from him, fuming with anger. “Come and find me when you’re willing to face the facts.”

When Mikleo storms away from him, Sorey lets him go, his anger fading into sadness at the sight of his friend’s back.

This has indeed become a far more troublesome situation than it started out as. But Sorey comforts himself in the fact that, if he waits a little while for Mikleo to cool his head, he’ll probably come back later on, and they can go on as normal.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, when Sorey wakes up, he feels colder than usual. It’s obvious as to why: in this bed, which is already far too large for a single child, he is all alone.

Mikleo didn’t come over last night.

It shouldn’t surprise him, really. His best friend can be incredibly stubborn at times, and it isn’t like he comes over to Sorey’s house every night even when they’re on good terms.

But it’s unusual that he should wake up in a house all by himself. Most mornings, Mikleo will come over so they can have breakfast together, even if he didn’t stay over the night before. It fits with their lessons and chores, so it’s become routine.

The sight of a lifeless house makes his heart ache.

Sorey gets out of bed and prepares for the day, eating a lonely breakfast accompanied only by The Celestial Record, which is an amazing book but makes for a poor conversation partner, given that it can only speak words that Sorey has read a thousand times over already.

After breakfast, he gets changed and heads outside. He heads over to the small rock house which Mikleo was given after he and Sorey were separated by Gramps a year ago. The outside of the house is pretty barren, save for the nature overtaking it, and Sorey knows the inside holds only books and Mikleo’s clothes and cookware. Neither of them have many possessions to begin with, but given that half of Mikleo’s clothes are at Sorey’s house, it’s fair to say that Mikleo’s own house doesn’t get used often.

When Sorey knocks on the door, there is no reply save for a heavy silence, and though he waits a good five minutes, after that he forces himself to accept that Mikleo just isn’t coming outside for him today.

It’s his own fault, and he knows it. He shouldn’t have pressed on with his own argument when he knew he might be in the wrong. Apologising would have been the best course of action. Now, though, he’s made Mikleo upset with him.

Letting out a long exhale, he forces himself away from the house. There’s no point in wallowing here right now - he’ll wait a while before finding Mikleo, and he can apologise then.

 

* * *

 

 

Except he doesn’t get a chance to talk to Mikleo that day.

Throughout their usual classes and chores, he only sees glimpses of his friend, who avoids him and his gaze at all costs. The one time they meet eyes, Mikleo immediately looks away, huffing. And without fail, any chance he has to get away from Sorey, he takes it, storming off in the same cloud of annoyance that he was cloaked with the day before.

“It everything alright?” Medea asks when Mikleo leaves as soon as she ends their handicraft lesson for the day.

“We had a fight,” Sorey says reluctantly. “It’s okay, though. I’m going to apologise to him, once he stops avoiding me.”

Medea smiles and hums. “I’m glad. Don’t lose hope - he’s stubborn, but I’m sure Mikleo doesn’t want to fight with you, either.”

(Neither of them see when Mikleo glances over his shoulder after leaving the house, a forlorn expression on his features.)

Sorey thanks her and leaves her house, taking in a breath of fresh air once he gets outside. Since he has no classes now, he’s tempted to go out and relieve some of his pent-up stress by hunting a prickleboar or two. As long as they’re small ones, he should be able to handle them, and he needs to gather food anyway.

Rushing to his own house, he picks up the wooden sword he usually uses and heads out of the village towards the prickleboar hunting grounds. The walk is oddly quiet, a fact which he attributes to the fact that he doesn’t have his best friend at his side, making idle conversation about their classes and chores and whatever else comes to mind. It isn’t often that Sorey goes hunting by himself - or anywhere, for that matter. Looking to his left he half expects to see a head of white hair, and he fools himself into a sense of false hope every time.

It doesn’t take long for him to find a small prickleboar, one which is minding its own business, chewing the grass at its trotters. Though he still feels a hint of pity for it, he knows by now that unless he hunts these animals, he won’t have food to eat. This is a necessary evil.

He pounces on it with his sword, engaging it in battle. Luckily it is quite weak, unable to fight back against Sorey’s slashing attacks. None of the attacks are very well executed, due to his lack of experience, but they do the job; after a few whacks on the head, the prickleboar goes down with a squeal.

“Yes!” Sorey grins, turning to his left. “We did it-”

There’s no one there to celebrate with.

A wave of disappointment flows through him. His smile drops as he remembers himself, and he turns back to the downed prickleboar, wondering how best to take it back to Elysia. He’s not strong enough to carry it by himself, even if it is quite small, so it would probably be best to drag it behind him. Kneeling at its side, he searches his pack for some rope to tie around it, to make dragging it home easier.

Except he hears a grunt.

Looking up, he sees a larger prickleboar a few feet away, pawing at the ground with its trotter. It grunts again and tosses its head.

“Crap,” Sorey whispers, his hand going to his sword again.

The prickleboar is too fast for him. He hears it approaching and closes his eyes, waiting for the impact-

“Twin flow!” a young, familiar voice yells.

He hears the prickleboar cry out as the attack hits it, and opens his eyes to see it drenched in water. Turning his head to the left, from where the voice came, he feels a wave of relief wash over him. Between the trees stands Mikleo, holding his staff out in the direction of the prickleboar. For only a moment, Sorey wonders how long Mikleo has been nearby, and if he was following him. His showing up couldn’t be coincidence, right?

“Mikleo!” Sorey stands up, turning to his friend. “Am I glad to see you-”

“The prickleboar!” Mikleo interrupts him, readying another seraphic arte.

Sorey whips back around and manages to block the prickleboar’s next attack with his sword, though only just barely. “It’s an adult one, we’re not strong enough!”

“We’ll have to flee,” Mikleo calls, two jets of water slamming the prickleboar on its side again.

“But what about the small one?!”

“Leave it!”

At this point, Sorey isn’t about to argue. With the adult prickleboar still recovering, he and Mikleo manage to run away, back in the direction of their village. They don’t stop running until they’re safely inside the gate, at which point the prickleboar has long since given up its chase. Breathing heavily, the boys try to catch their breath before saying anything.

It’s Sorey who speaks first. “Thanks, Mikleo. You’re a lifesaver.”

“Don’t thank me,” Mikleo says, looking away with a frown. “I only did it because I happened to be nearby.”

Sorey smiles, not believing his words for a second. “Uh-huh. I’m glad you’re here though. I don’t want to fight with you anymore.”

Mikleo’s eyes flick over to him in interest, though he tries to make it look like he’s not interested by keeping his body turned away. “Oh?”

“That argument was over something silly,” Sorey says, not put off by Mikleo’s feigned lack of interest. “So let’s stop fighting, okay?”

Sighing, Mikleo turns to face him properly. Though he tries to look exasperated, it’s a ruined effect due to his own smile. “Fine.”

The two boys head back to Sorey’s house, the usual warm atmosphere falling back into place around them.

“Let’s not argue again, okay?”

“Okay.”

And though the two are bound to argue again in the future, they will never forget the feeling of missing the other when such arguments tear them apart.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me [@luzrofrulay](http://twitter.com/luzrofrulay) on twitter / [@luzrof-rulay](http://luzrof-rulay.tumblr.com) on tumblr for more Tales Of ramblings | [@randomactuallywrites-57](http://randomactuallywrites-57.tumblr.com) on tumblr for more writing!


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